February 06, 2016: An error free 65 helped James Hahn take charge of the lead despite breezy conditions at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Anirban Lahiri failed to produce an encore of his brilliant first round effort, sliding down to T37 after making a 74 on Friday.
Two bogeys on the front nine were further compounded by a third at the tenth hole and a double bogey at the par-3 12th hole. The difficult conditions at the TPC Scottsdale, where the wind blew heavily, inflicted some heavy damage to the Indian.
Hahn had a 10-under 132 total on TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course to enter the weekend a stroke ahead of. Fowler birdied his final hole for a 68, and Lee had a 66.
“I’m having fun out there,” said Hahn, whose 10-under 132 at the Stadium Course left him one shot ahead of Rickie Fowler and Danny Lee. “Making a lot of putts, hitting a lot of fairways, giving myself many opportunities to make birdie.”
Fowler had most of the 160,415 fans raving noisily through the day, making a birdie at the packed 18th hole for his 68. Lee made 66. The crowd on Friday eclipsed the previous Friday number of 123,674 by a massive leap.
Often called the biggest and noisiest party in golf, the TPC Scottsdale has been witness to Hahn’s evocative Gangnam-style celebration in 2013, when he made a birdie at the difficult par-3 16th hole.
“It’s good for golf, good for the game, good for the fans that come out here,” said Hahn, when the Associated Press reminded of his dance three years ago. “They support the golf tournament, so might as well give them a show.”
“Sleeping in my own bed this week, live about 10 minutes away,” added Hahn in his conversation with AP. “I have played this course a hundred times. The only thing different about the course today, as any other day, is the greens are better.”
“It wasn’t playing easy,” admitted Fowler, in a thought that might resonate with Lahiri. “The wind was kind of blowing from an awkward position. … Just tried to stay patient, fight through it.”
“Wind was definitely in play today,” sang Lee, adding to the chorus about the difficult conditions. “It was a little bit different than yesterday. The greens being so firm, you’re kind of forced to hit driver. You want to hit a shorter club on the second shot.”
